A Fall Family Photo Session by the Susquehanna River in Columbia, PA

One of my favorite locations for photo sessions by the water is the Columbia River Park next to the Susquehanna River. The beautiful historic Wrightsville Bridge is a standout feature at this location and the sunlight hits behind it just perfectly at golden hour. Supposedly this bridge is the longest multiple arch concrete bridge in the world!

This family photo session actually took place at two different locations along the Susquehanna River that are about a 7 minute drive apart. While I like the beautiful river vistas with the bridge in the background, there are not a lot of other varied backdrops so I like to combine this location with another spot just up the road. Musselman Vesta Furnace is the easiest spot to put in a GPS and it is technically in Marietta I believe. It offers both field and forest as well as a different perspective on the Susquehanna River.

As you will see in the photos below, by the time we arrived at the second river location the sun had already begun to set and we entered what is known as blue hour. Blue hour is also a magical time but it doesn’t last long before it starts to get too dark for photo taking.

It was a true honor to photograph this family, as Vanessa is a fellow photographer herself and we both happen to be from the same hometown of Chambersburg, PA! Her son absolutely did not want to wear the shirt she had planned for him so we went with his monster truck t-shirt and it all worked out ok. Vanessa is also a former art teacher and told me that she knew she wanted to have some photos taken with my Lensbaby Sol 45 art lens which creates a dreamy blurred edges effect. See if you can spot some of the images below that were taken with that lens!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Willow Trees and Wildflowers One Year Session at Greenfield Park in Lancaster, PA

I’d like to share some photos from a location I don’t get to all that frequently, but I think it’s lovely in the summer time! Greenfield Park includes lots of beautiful mature willow trees by the water and it was the perfect location for this summer family photo session.

The first time I photographed this family was when they were expecting their little boy. Their maternity photo session was one of my all time favorites and the first time I ever photographed at The Pinnacle Point Overlook (you can view it here!). This one year session with their son Maverick with the willow trees and wildflowers is also one of my favorites that I must share!

I will admit that Greenfield Business Park does pose a few challenges when it comes to photography and I probably wouldn’t recommend it for a group of more than four people. It is surrounded by roads and buildings and parking lots on many sides which you don’t want showing up in the background of your photos. It also tends to be more populated with people walking on the paths throughout the evening. However, it can be picturesque if you can work the angles and it is one of the few public parks in Lancaster that I know of where there are willow trees along the water. It is also very accessible for strollers with lots of paved walking paths weaving throughout.

When I was scouting locations for this family photo session, I got quite lucky when I came upon a wildflower field just up the road. The field was planted by a local church and part of a walking loop that serves the residents in the neighboring apartments. This photo session took place in June when the wildflowers were looking lovely and I was so glad we could end the session in the field.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Early Fall Family Photo Session at Longs Park

What a gift it is to document families as they grow over time. I take it as one of the best compliments when clients come back to have me take their photos more than once!

I first photographed this family when their daughter Paige was a newborn and they were living in a tiny studio apartment in Harrisburg. Now they are about to welcome baby number two (a little boy!) and I cannot wait to photograph them as a family of four in their new home. Stephanie is absolutely stunning in her flowy boho dress!

As we all know, toddlers can be tricky when it comes to photos. Paige needed a snack towards the end and was not willing to give up her can of puffs without a fight so we got some photos of her at the end clinging to her puffs. She wasn’t a fan of wearing her hat accessory either but we managed to get one good photo of her wearing it (and Dad wore it too!) My best advice for photographing toddlers is to let them be themselves and don’t try forcing them into anything. If they want to pick a flower or throw a rock in the pond, let them do it! And with some subtle suggestions, beautiful in-the-moment photos can be made. I might suggest to have them let mom smell the flower or see if they can reach a tree branch when they sit on top of dad’s shoulders. I think it’s important to make it more about play and less about smiling at the camera to capture authentic expressions.

I love Long’s Park in the fall and it’s probably my favorite time of year to photograph there. Though it can be tricky to avoid people and parked cars in the background, I’ve discovered the angles that work well over the years and have my favorite trees and spots. It’s also an entertaining location for little kids because of the water and there are always ducks swimming around and fish (and sometimes turtles) to feed.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Lancaster Family Photography: A Colorful Fall Family Photo Session with the Trains at Red Caboose Motel

There are so many great locations in the Lancaster area for family photo sessions and the Red Caboose Motel is one of the more unique theme locations for anyone who likes trains. I have been wanting to share images from this location in a post so that others can get a feel for what a session there might be like.

If you or your kiddos enjoy trains, the Red Caboose Motel is a great family friendly spot for a photo session. Along with a small wooden train that kids can play on, they also have a petting zoo with various animals (pigs, horses, llamas, etc). And if you prefer to have some greenery in your photos as well, there is a lovely weeping willow tree along the edge of the property that makes for a nice backdrop in addition to the colorful rows of train cars.

Strasburg is a cute little town that is perfect for train lovers. In addition to the motel, just up the road is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania as well as the Strasburg Railroad where you can book tickets for a short train ride. And if you’re looking for a kid-friendly spot to grab a bite before or after your session, Speckled Hen Coffee is one of our family’s favorites.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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A Summer Family Session at Harvest Lane Farm and Overlook Park

Summer time is one of the best times to have photos taken with one of the many flower fields and flower farms throughout Lancaster County. Some wildflower fields can be found at public parks and others are farms where they grow pick-your-own fields that allow photo sessions in the evenings. The tricky part is knowing how to time your session so that you hit the flower fields at peak bloom.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that golden hour is the best time to shoot in flower fields when the sun is low in the sky otherwise you’ll be dealing with bright overhead light and shadows. Since the sunset happens much later in summertime, this is something to keep in mind for littles who have early bedtimes because starting at 7 p.m. is ideal for golden hour summer sessions. Because this session was done in September, we started at 6:30 p.m. and that was a perfect start time for that golden light.

In general, June is a great month for wildflower fields but there are blooms all the way through September in some places. Sunflowers are almost always in bloom late summer/early fall.

Harvest Lane Farm in Lititz has a lovely produce market and they also grow flowers to sell. They were kind enough to allow us to do this family photo session there. These photos were taken in early September and the sunflowers were about done but there were still colorful rows of flowers to photograph in. Afterwards we made a stop at Overlook Park to take some photos in the pine tree forest and managed to capture a few sunset silhouettes.

Little Caroline was a delight to photograph. She loved playing hide-and-seek with me in the rows of flowers and just wanted to run free in the park. I adore this family and the amount of color in this session.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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A Spring Cherry Blossom Family Photo Session at Lancaster County Park

Lancaster County Central Park is one of my favorite locations for photo sessions during all seasons of the year, but especially in spring time. If you time it right, you can find flowering dogwoods, red bud trees and cherry blossoms all in bloom at the same time and it is simply glorious.

For this family photo session we began at the Garden of the Five Senses and then wandered over to a row of pink cherry blossom trees. The kids picked flowers, blew dandelion puffs and rolled around in the grass. To end the session, we went to one of my favorite hill top locations in the park for sunset silhouettes.

Spring photo sessions are not quite as popular as fall, but in my opinion they should be! It’s the perfect time for Mother’s Day portraits (hint hint: I do offer gift certificates!) and photos before the weather gets super hot. If you’re thinking about scheduling a spring session, I recommend reaching out in February/March to book.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Lancaster Family Photography: A Snowy Winter Family Photo Session at Overlook Park

It was my birthday weekend mid-March and we got one last beautiful winter snow. This was probably the only time I have ever seen Overlook Park so empty. There was not a soul in sight. The snow was still untouched and the pine forest was covered in white and was so serene.

In my lifetime thus far I have had 3 birthday blizzards. I’ll always remember the one we had when I was in 5th grade because I was supposed to have a slumber party with all my friends but due to the oncoming snow, no one was allowed to stay overnight. This wasn’t quite a blizzard, but it was very gusty so even with minimal snow there was some drifting.

I could hardly wait to get out and take pictures in the winter wonderland and when Andrea asked if I would do a 6 month session for her son Griffin in the snow I was thrilled! He was so adorable wearing the bright red gnome hat and his big brother Bailey got a kick out of pulling him around in the sled. I am SO very thankful that the timing worked out perfectly for this snowy family winter photo session.

At the end of this session, I was able to grab some silhouette images of the boys and then I photographed some of the snow covered evergreen trees around the park. Later in Photoshop I overlaid the portraits of the boys with some of the tree images to create some unique black and white double exposure silhouettes. I am always happy to get creative with double exposures if time allows (and if the client has interest).

I realize that winter and snowy photo sessions certainly aren’t top priority for most families; however, winter photo sessions CAN be possible, even with little kids. Here are a few tips on how to prepare and make a snowy winter session successful:

1. Bundle Up: Yes, it’s obvious, but make sure everyone wears layers and has coats, hats, boots, scarves and mittens if necessary. Bring blankets! They can be used as fun props too and you can snuggle together. You can always take coats off briefly for shots and then put them back on if you want to get photos in special sweaters or outfits.

2. Make It Short & Quick: Because winter is typically my slower season and because it’s cold out, I will only do mini sessions for winter time. We keep it brief, 30 minutes or less so you don’t freeze your butts off (though you may have cherry red noses by the time you’re done).

3. Make It Playful: We will keep moving; wrap in blankets, pull someone in a sled, hold hands and run through the snow, play ring-around-the-rosie, etc. Snowy photo sessions have got to be fun!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

A Narnia Inspired Winter One Year Session with Luna in the Evergreens

I know that winter is not necessarily the ideal time for family photos but I had been wanting to photograph a session at this location full of tall evergreen trees for a while and was looking for an excuse. I believe that there is beauty to be found in all seasons, even the cold and barren ones. This winter family photo session turned out beautifully and we lucked out with a warmish December day and beautiful golden light.

I convinced my dear friend Drea and her husband Dani to model for a family session and it also worked out as one-year session since their daughter Luna turned one in December. And wouldn’t you be surprised to know that it also turned out to be a pregnancy announcement because Drea is expecting a baby in June! So of course it was an opportune time to announce that Luna is going to be a big sister in 2022!

I am slowly growing a client closet of mostly dresses for women, children and babies and so I was motivated to photograph Drea in this beautiful blue velvet gown that I had just purchased from Baltic Born. I also found a coordinating velvet flapper style dress with fringes for Luna that I love (thanks to Etsy!). And last of all I recently added a faux fur coat from Joyfolie to my client closet which I think will be fabulous for winter maternity sessions. I made a winter flower crown for Drea using mostly plants and herbs (rosemary!) that I found growing around our yard. The fur coat definitely gives this session a Narnia vibe and if only we had some snow covering the ground it would have been perfect!

If you are considering a winter photo session I’m happy to recommend some magical locations and figure out ways to be creative and keep the littles warm.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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York Family Photography: A Sunny September Family Session at Samuel Lewis State Park

This family has probably been one of my most photographed families in the last few years and I always come away from their sessions with so many favorites! Not only are they easy going and super photogenic, they also know how to have fun during their sessions, whether it be dancing or frolicking through the forest or blowing bubbles.

It was a beautiful sunny September evening when we did this session at Samuel Lewis State Park in York. I’ve only photographed there once before and it was a morning session so the light was very different. I love the way the evening sun shines through the trees around the big boulder rocks. There is also a huge open hill and sky that is perfect for silhouette photographs and a grove of evergreen trees. I will definitely be returning to this location for future sessions in York!

This session is also the very last family session I photographed in 2021 before taking my maternity leave so it holds a special spot in my heart! With an October due date, it was hard for me to turn away so many photo sessions this fall which is typically a photographer’s busiest time of year but I’m glad I could end on this note!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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A Summer Family Session by the Susquehanna River in Columbia, PA

One of my favorite river locations just outside of Columbia, PA is this spot down by the Susquehanna River near Chickies Rock. Along with easy access to the river, there is also a neat location with some old cement foundations with ivy growing all over them that makes it quite magical.

Something about this summer family session had some tropical vibes to it, even though we are far from the tropics. Stephanie was stunning in her flowy dress and this family could not be more photogenic.

Every now and then, I get surprised during a session and when Stephanie’s boyfriend secretly told me he was planning to propose I got so excited/nervous! He waited until the very end and boy was she surprised! What a beautiful way to end a family session!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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